Lawrenceville man convicted of child molestation

A Lawrenceville man was found guilty of molesting a girl more than a dozen years ago, Cobb prosecutors said.

Adrian DeShawn Burney, 38, previously served prison time in Alabama after pleading guilty to raping two underage girls there, court officials said.

Thursday, a Cobb County jury found him guilty on two counts of child molestation of a local victim who is now 24 years old, prosecutors said.

The abuse happened over a period of four years, starting when the victim was 8, authorities said.

She testified that she didn't immediately report the abuse because his girlfriend lived with her family, and she liked having the girlfriend around, prosecutors said.

"The evidence has shown this defendant's method of operation," Cobb Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring told jurors. "He grooms these young girls, builds their trust, and then uses that trust for his own perverted sexual reasons. His acts have been those of a predator."

Burney, who faces up to 40 years in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced March 28.

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